Meeting commenced at 4:10 p.m.

Attendees at meeting: Mary Rodriguez (committee chair); Richard Spicer (committee co-chair); Mary Frances Smith-Reynolds (Franklin Hills Residents Assn.-FHRA); Tom Abraham (John Marshall High School Principal); Ricardo Gomez (community activist); LAUSD Board member David Tokofsky; Stacy Imamura (parent activist from Franklin Avenue Elementary); Joe Martinez (intern from CD4); Byron Maltez (Thomas Starr King Middle School principal); Mary Beth Sorensen (King Middle School parent and Magnet co-coordinator); Jeanne Chang (field deputy from CD4); Michael Jon Horn (local business owner); Barry Greenfield (Community Police Advisory Board - CPAB); Dan Eckstrom and Randy Pierson (assistant principals, King Middle School); Adam Weisman (FHRA); Heidi Motzkus (Franklin Avenue Elementary); Larry Tash (middle school coordinator, LAUSD District E); Colleen Schultz, Irene Kelly, Kay Fong, and Sue Netka (teachers, Franklin Avenue Elementary); Gina Park (parent, King Middle School); Everett Littlefield (CPAB); Kirk Palayan and Sally Chang (teachers, King Middle School); Peter Bedard (community activist); Van Ajemian (YANKS Project); Dr. Verna Dauterive (principal, Franklin Avenue Elementary); Mr. Jean Genay  ( Exec. Director, LILA School)

CALL TO ORDER.
Committee chair Mary Rodriguez called meeting to order, and asked all participants to introduce themselves.

GREATER GRIFFITH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Richard Spicer gave an introduction to the Neighborhood Councils (NCs), and a history of the GGPNC. He explained the way the GGPNC board and committees work, and that NCs advise the City on various services and other matters. He mentioned that the GGPNC has prioritized budget items for our area, and acknowledged CD4 for their support.

THOMAS STARR KING MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATE
Byron Maltez welcomed everyone to King Middle School, and explained how King has benefited from family and community collaboration. He sited the restoration of the "Vanishing Race" statue and the addition of the 360-student magnet as examples of how community activists have helped to improve the school. Byron also explained the reality that King is overcrowded and over utilized, saying, "it never rests." There are more than
3,000 students on three tracks at King, roughly 1,000 per track. In addition, there is an after school program, an after-school intervention program, and soon there will be Saturday intervention classes to improve
academic achievement.


DONATION TO THOMAS STARR KING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mary Rodriguez reminded those assembled that at the first meeting of this Education Committee was in July 2003. Subsequent to that meeting, where vandalism was a hot topic, Mary had a meeting with local business people and school boosters, Barry Greenfield and Michael Jon Horn, and mentioned the success of video cameras in deterring crime on school sites. Michael Jon Horn decided to give a gift of around $7,400 to King Middle School to purchase security cameras.

Randy Pierson spoke about the success of video cameras in catching students who are tagging, stealing, and engaging in other illegal activities. Having used such technology at the last school where he worked, he said that the footage can be viewed through the internet from home, and school police can then be contacted, if necessary.

Byron thanked Michael Jon for his generous donation.

Michael Jon explained that he has been successful in business, and comes from a family that believes in giving back to the community, saying, "When I go, I want to feel like I've left something." Michael Jon will be donating the same kind of system to Virgil Middle School in Hollywood. Michael Jon thanked Barry Greenfield for his support.


YANKS (YOUTH ASSISTING NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS)
Van Ajemian introduced himself, saying that he is an attorney, who spends many hours on community programs, and who has "a passionate interest in improving democracy." He described a program he has designed for youth to be involved with neighborhood councils around the city. Also called "Democracy
Head Start," Van's program would be implemented through schools in the form of hands-on civics curriculum. Van sees involvement in the newly formed Neighborhood Councils as a perfect way to engage young people in democracy. Involvement could be in such things as beautification and education projects, polling, and working on zoning issues, to name a few. Van called it a "program of hope," hope that when these young people become adults they will be more involved and discerning. "The hope is that we see an evolution in our susceptibility to propaganda," he said. There could even be an extension to parents: for example, students could extra credit if their parents voted.

Van is currently looking for grants and donations for the program, and is interfacing with teachers, Neighborhood Councils, and other activists to implement this pilot program. Mary Rodriguez added that YANKS will also tap into programs that already exist, such as service projects and requirements at schools.

DAVID TOKOFSKY'S REPORT
LAUSD School Board member David Tokofsky acknowledged that there are problems created district-wide by overuse of schools. This is complicated by the issuance of Civic Center permits for weekend use of campuses. He said that it is a facilities issue and a community issue.

David spoke of the importance of a school bond that he hopes will be on the March ballot.  He said we need to begin organizing now to make sure that our schools get what they need. While, there will be an allocation for new facilities (in District E alone, 9,200 seats are needed), existing schools should list EVERYTHING they need. Boardmember Tokofsky emphasized the need to list everything from lighting, painting, athletic fields, air conditioning, and every single minor improvement, no matter how small.

Money may also go to other projects such as taking large secondary schools and altering them so they have little schools within a big campus. A strong concern of David's is early education, such as all-day kindergarten. As he explained, this would have an instructional benefit as well as a revenue benefit. There are currently many children not enrolled in kindergarten because of childcare problems stemming from the half-day model. All-day kindergarten would alleviate those problems and there would be money to be gained in Daily Attendance revenue.

In response to a question by community activist, Peter Bedard, David explained that the newer schools are including parking areas for teachers, but that is a very costly issue. He realizes it creates problems for teachers and residents, but pointed out that residents often use their garages more for storage than parking .

Community activist, Ricardo Gomez stated that programs at King Middle School during weekends and after-hours are running without control, specifically on the athletic field. He said that the Education Code establishes every school as a civic center. However, if there is any interference with the school's main purpose, the school can deny a permit. David said the office of permits is centralized.

Byron Maltez explained that the LAUSD Beyond the Bell Office oversees permits given to groups to use LAUSD school sites. He said that currently at King there are soccer groups on Sunday. Byron recently changed their start time from 8:00 a.m. to noon; ending at 5:00 p.m. There is also a permit for Tuesdays and Thursdays until 8:30 p.m. Individual permits are coordinated by the Youth Service Coordinator on campus. JMHS Principal Tom Abraham explained that principals are supposed to be receiving, on a regular basis,
a list of those using school facilities.  Revenue made from giving permits to groups goes to the Youth Services program. The question was raised as to why the revenue gained by outside groups can't go back into restoring and maintaining the athletic field.

Middle School director Larry Tash made the point that if Byron cut back on the number of permits he approved at King, then un-permitted groups would use the site. He added that school police are extremely limited. He suggested that the link between the principals and Youth Services needs to be more clear. Peter Bedard reiterated his concern that the athletic field is being overused, and there is not proper security or accountability for cleanup. David Tokofsky made the point that there are "balancing issues," and that public buildings should not be pushing the public out of them.

David addressed budget issues, saying that LAUSD has been lucky with the state budget cuts. There are difficulties in the year ahead, but the Board of Education is trying to raise more revenue. The Board cannot tax people, but it can raise revenues by making sure that all children who are eligible for free/reduced lunches are taking advantage of the free/reduced lunch program. Children need to turn in their tickets so that the Food Services department gets reimbursed, and doesn't operate in a deficit, thereby forcing money to come out of school materials. Furthermore, free/reduced lunch participation determines the amount of federal compensatory money (Title I funds) that schools receive.

David expressed concern over the Federal "No Child Left Behind" law. The law requires huge leaps in reading, math, and science proficiency by 2014. There are no exceptions for special education students or English language learners. 

SECURITY IN LAUSD, SPECIFICALLY KING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Ricardo Gomez stated that neighbors are concerned about the slow response of school police. He wondered why LAUSD doesn't partner with the community colleges on security matters, i.e: the sheriffs' department which is contracted by the nearby Los Angeles City College.

Ricardo spoke about the illegal vending around King. He said that these have become nuisance activities that adversely affect the community, particularly with regards to trash. He said that the municipal code states that vendors honor an "exclusion zone" of 500 feet from the nearest property line, and that this is not enforced at King. Byron stated that at King they are trying to educate students about trash, and are trying to be more proactive with vendors. Dr. Dauterive, principal of Franklin Avenue Elementary, stated that she has spoken to kids and to the vendors around her school. Principal Tom Abraham stated that they regularly discourage vendors around JMHS. But it is an ongoing challenge.

SPECIAL EDUCATION
The classroom teachers present from Franklin Avenue Elementary discussed their hope that there would be more support in their classrooms to help special needs children. Specifically, they indicated that children who are supposed to have TSAs (one-on-one aides) are not getting them, or they're coming late in the school year. Even when the need for a TSA is written in a child's IEP (Individualized Education Program), they're not receiving one. They also stated their frustration over a plan wherein District E announced that it was going to spend $50,000 to knock out a wall in a special education classroom, thereby making it possible to increase the number of special needs children in the class. This plan has been delayed by LAUSD Maintenance and Operations.

There was discussion over "unfunded mandates," specifically the No Child Left Behind law, which sets high standards and demands, but does not provide money or resources to meet them. This is of particular concern for special needs and English language learner students. The point was made that this sets students and schools up for failure. Boardmember Tokofsky encouraged  those present to write letters to their congressional representatives emphasizing the need for federal money to successfully implement the mandates of the "No Child Left Behind" law.

UPDATE ON THOMAS STARR KING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mary Beth Sorensen, a coordinator of King's Magnet program, stated that the  technology and arts gifted magnet program, now in its third year, is going well and is fully enrolled, and that there is a lot of community/family involvement.

Mary Beth introduced an idea that is being discussed to provide a program to students who are off-track (1,000 King students at any given time). This would be developed in collaboration with the City's Recreation and Parks Department, and would be a pilot program for other communities. This way, students who are not in school would have meaningful enriching activities and classes available to them so that their off-track time is not wasted.

Mary Beth invited everyone to walk upstairs following the meeting to see the new indoor science-themed mural, illustrating indigenous California plants and animals. The artist is seeking help with the calligraphy identifying each species. Mary Beth said that there are other mural and art projects being planned for the campus, as well.

Mary Rodriguez said that there are technology needs at King. She said there needs to be brainstorming on partnerships through the Adopt-a-School program. One idea was to have former King students, now at JMHS, fill their required community service hours during their intersession by assisting the King technology coordinator, Bruce Lee.

CONCLUSION
In concluding the meeting, Mary Rodriguez told the group that there are two local mural projects being planned: One at the Hoover Street Stairwell, and one in the Myra Avenue underpass. Mary also informed the group that the reward money for information leading to the arrest of the Hyperion Bridge attacker has been increased. The reward is now $50,000, an increase of $30,000. These additional funds were approved by Governor Davis, due to the persistence of Assemblymember Dario Frommer, 43rd District.

The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.
The next meeting of the GGPNC Education Committee is scheduled for Thursday, December 11 at LILA (Lycee International Los Angeles, or "The French School").